$2K reward offered for safe return of Holland man's wolfdog

HOLLAND -- The Holland Township man who owns of a pack of wolfdogs is offering a $2,000 reward for the safe return of a female dog who has been missing for over a month.

Wildfire has been missing since Dec. 1.Although some people have reported seeing the missing animal, named Wildfire, most of the sightings, including a recent one in Pohatcong Township, have turned out to be coyotes, according to police.

“There have been a few sightings, but nothing concrete,” said Cliff Zager, the dog’s owner.

Wolfdogs are dogs with a recent wolf ancestor. Zager keeps 14 of them, plus three other dogs, on his 9-acre property on Spring Garden Road. Wildfire escaped on Dec. 1, just hours before Zager finished constructing an electric fence to keep the dogs from getting out, he said.

She was most recently spotted near routes 614 and 519 on Dec. 29, police said. At the time, officials notified Zager and set traps in the area.

“She is very shy, so please do not pursue or feed her,” Zager said.
Last year, township officials and neighbors pressed for Zager to better secure his property after the dogs got loose.

Holland considered limiting the number of wolfdogs he could keep and banning any future dogs from the township, but the measure failed.